List of SD card hack, carts, alternative replacements to CD drive.

[opt2not]

And damn, man, the Saturn mod IS super easy, so whomever botched that so badly must have been really bad at it.   

THAT'S what I thought too. I wish I took a picture of it, it was really a mess, but felt great saving it back to working condition and upgraded.

Modchips are part of the discussion when we're talking pro/con of anything that is modifying the system's storage method. 

I guess, but the point of this thread was to list out what's available. It's turned into a discussion of finances and alternatives to the list we're trying to generate here. Seems like there should be a separate thread for these discussions.

[Howard_Casto]

Not really.  The list is still there, but a list isn't particularly helpful by itself, especially to someone who's just getting into the hobby.  I think it's good to talk about recommendations and such so people can get an idea of what each option is like.

On that note, I got around to testing the game genie functionality on the everdrive md clone.  It works, but man is it awkward.  First to load up the game, then you turn the power off, load/enter your game genie codes, patch the loaded rom and play.  If you want to disable the code... you have to reload the game.  So the feature only technically works.  I could only see it useful on a game like battletoads where you want the extra lives cheat and you aren't going to turn it off because the game is so hard.  The device does give you the option of loading codes from a text file, so I guess that makes it a little easier.   If you are really into game genie, and the updated version of the OS has better gg support it might be worth it to get the official version.  For me though, I'd rather have the professionally made cart shell.

I want to try some converted game gear roms next. 

[thomas_surles]

Not really.  The list is still there, but a list isn't particularly helpful by itself, especially to someone who's just getting into the hobby.  I think it's good to talk about recommendations and such so people can get an idea of what each option is like.

On that note, I got around to testing the game genie functionality on the everdrive md clone.  It works, but man is it awkward.  First to load up the game, then you turn the power off, load/enter your game genie codes, patch the loaded rom and play.  If you want to disable the code... you have to reload the game.  So the feature only technically works.  I could only see it useful on a game like battletoads where you want the extra lives cheat and you aren't going to turn it off because the game is so hard.  The device does give you the option of loading codes from a text file, so I guess that makes it a little easier.   If you are really into game genie, and the updated version of the OS has better gg support it might be worth it to get the official version.  For me though, I'd rather have the professionally made cart shell.

I want to try some converted game gear roms next.

I think it's the same on my everdrive MD. At least I couldn't figure a way to disable.  I used it to finally beat lion king.

[Howard_Casto]

What's irksome about that is it would be quite simple for krizz to fix the issue.  A game genie code only alters a few bytes, so just save those bytes, before patching, to a scratch file.  When a code is disabled, those original bytes just have to be written back.  When a new game is loaded, destroy the scratch file. 

Actually, with some work, disable/enable codes could be made if the original value is known.  I really don't want to make my own game genie codes though.

Btw, for those interested, the everdrive md clone I'm talking about is on amazon sold by YiSHDA, which appears to be a generic import seller.  I don't necessarily endorse the seller, but I'm noting it because I got mine in 5 days, which is pretty darn good from China.  Comes with a sd card as well. 

[Howard_Casto]

So I just tried some Game Gear games patched to run on the Master System.  As expected, they run just fine.  I will say this though, due to the limitations of the patches it isn't really worth it.  You can see things that are normally clipped out of screen, making the games often look odd. 

[Locke141]

I think the post where we criticize each others taste, preferences, and opinions then go back and forth are less helpful.

IE)

Cart X sucked and is a wast of money you should just (fill in other option)

Pointing out other options like mod chips, emulation, other SD/multi carts or stating your opinion on the pros and cons of some options can be very helpful. 
   
IE)

Cart X has some limitations that make it a deal breaker for me. I really like (fill in other option) because it offers many of the same advantages for a lot less money.

A good example could be the PSIO or the Rhea. Both come at a premium price and pointing out that a mod chip is much cheeper an a better option for you is a reasonable thing to do. That said I was in the position where giving my saturn some future proofing and not having to buy, burn, & store CD's was for me the better option. For some one else the price point could make a mod chip the only realistic option.   

Like I said above you could easily make an argument that most everything any one of us does in this hobby is unnecessary and/or silly. We are grown Men (mostly, some woman) spending hundreds of dollars on +20 year old toys.

On another note, I'm so swamped when I'm back in the US that I have not even tried my new ever drive and all the updates on Howard's have been really nice. 

[opt2not]

Gonna post my ASSEMbler post here just in case anyone else has some troubles with a USB GD-ROM and 2.5" SATA Hard drives using a USB adapter.

I wanted to share my latest adventures in the USB GD-ROM install.  I've been running it for some time now off a small USB Flash drive, but got tired of having to swap games on it due to limited space.
I had an old Hitachi 2.5" SATA hard drive from a macbook laying around with 100gig of space that I figured I'd use for this. This was perfect since there are only about 50gigs worth of games I'd actually want on my DC, and I wasn't interested in installing the entire library onto it.

Recently I picked up a Vantech USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA Hard Drive Adapter to connect the drive to the USB GDROM. This is one of the passive ones that uses a single USB connection and powers it through the 5v line.

First thing I did was wipe the drive clean, formatted it with the fat32format program people have linked here, and installed Soul Calibur on it as my test game.
At first, when I connected it to my DC and powered it up, the system froze at the DC Logo screen. I thought "oh no, the drive is corrupted", but after removing the USB extension cord I was using, the console booted through the logo screen then onto a black screen with "No Fat32 File System Found".

I thought perhaps my drive wasn't properly formatted.  So after a few attempts at re-formatting with different allocation sizes, and verifying it was a Primary drive, nothing seem to work.  Then I noticed in my Disk Management that there was an EFI System partition that was a remnant of the Macbook install.

Apparently it's a hidden drive separate from the main file system for the OS to use on boot-ups or firmware installing.  Since it's the first sectors on the drive, I'm assuming the USB GDROM looked at it and failed to initialize because it wasn't the same file system.

Window's Disk Management program wasn't allowing me to remove this partition normally, so I had to look into a more hardcore solution. Luckily Windows comes with a command line program called `diskpart`, which allowed me to select and remove that partition. (make sure you select your drive first using the command line!)

After doing so, and reformatting one more time, I now have a working healthy 100gig hard drive installed into my Dreamcast.  I couldn't be happier!

[Locke141]

One year later and I just now got my Rhea working. I had some trouble with getting CDI images to load then realized that the updated firmware now sports ISO's.

In short it is wonderful and worth every penny. It was super easy to hook up and with the latest firmware you no longer need to use crazy, outdated unsupported programs to create .CDI images.

I've grabbed the fan translations for Shining force III and dragon force II as well as some old favorites like Guardian heroes and Albert Odyssey. My wife is out of town visiting a friend so I'll probably be loading up as many games I can find worth playing tonight then set up Rmenu. Then rest happy knowing that my Saturn will be around for years if not decades to come.

Edit: Here is a nice tutorial on how to turn .bin .cue files into ISO on a Mac.

 

[thomas_surles]

The GBA everdrive is out!!! $99

http://krikzz.com/store/home/42-everdrive-gba-x5.html

[Locke141]

The GBA everdrive is out!!! $99

http://krikzz.com/store/home/42-everdrive-gba-x5.html

Nice 

I need to update the list on the first post.

[Howard_Casto]

I'm going to have to ask the obvious question here.... What is the benefit of getting this over a 20-30 dollar super card that'll play everything up to the Nintendo DS?

[thomas_surles]

I'm going to have to ask the obvious question here.... What is the benefit of getting this over a 20-30 dollar super card that'll play everything up to the Nintendo DS?

Honestly I can't answer that right now. Real time clock?

[Howard_Casto]

That was a serious question, but don't pay any attention to me.  I think due to the screen tech I'm more flexible in regards to  accuracy on portables.  I'm not going to play Gameboy games on a Gameboy because the screen sucks... I would probably play them on the GBA or DS.  At that point it's probably emulated by the handheld anyway.

[thomas_surles]

Yeah I'm not sure what the real benefits of the ever drive really are vs the super card.
My hand held are actually at the bottom of my list for flash carts. (Except the ds because they are extremely cheap)

[Howard_Casto]

I'm getting a n64 cart next I think, and I'll report back on the results.  I've ordered the stuff to rgb mod my n64 since I have one of the early ones.  I vowed I would never mod consoles for video, but s-video is dead and it doesn't look real great on the n64 anyway.

[opt2not]

I got my pre-order in for the Everdrive GBA and cannot wait to get it in my hands!

I was running one of the newer EZ-Flash IV's, the version that uses MicroSD and I'm really looking forward to replacing it with the Everdrive GBA. It was fine for being a cheaply priced $35 cart, obviously built in China due to it's cheap plastic case, components and cumbersome software.

From what I've gathered here's a list of upgrades the Everdrive has over the EZ-Flash:

- Better menu interface for selecting games
- No cumbersome writing software needed (EZ-Flash IV requires you to use EZ-Client, which patches roms for the save functions and in some cases the functionality of some games to work)
- Much less power consumption
- Real-time clock support
- Fast Loading (most games load within 1 - 2 seconds (my EZ-Flash takes FOREVER to flash)
- SD, SDHC and SDXC cards are supported. Tested with micro-SD cards up to 64GB -- FAT32 support
- All save types supported, no ROM patching required
- High compatibility. Near to 100% compatibility with GBA game library
- Sturdy plastic shell (unlike the EZ-Flash IV's that feels like it'll crack every time you pull the cart out of your GBA)

The price is much higher though so YMMV.

[thomas_surles]

I got my pre-order in for the Everdrive GBA and cannot wait to get it in my hands!

I was running one of the newer EZ-Flash IV's, the version that uses MicroSD and I'm really looking forward to replacing it with the Everdrive GBA. It was fine for being a cheaply priced $35 cart, obviously built in China due to it's cheap plastic case, components and cumbersome software.

From what I've gathered here's a list of upgrades the Everdrive has over the EZ-Flash:

- Better menu interface for selecting games
- No cumbersome writing software needed (EZ-Flash IV requires you to use EZ-Client, which patches roms for the save functions and in some cases the functionality of some games to work)
- Much less power consumption
- Real-time clock support
- Fast Loading (most games load within 1 - 2 seconds (my EZ-Flash takes FOREVER to flash)
- SD, SDHC and SDXC cards are supported. Tested with micro-SD cards up to 64GB -- FAT32 support
- All save types supported, no ROM patching required
- High compatibility. Near to 100% compatibility with GBA game library
- Sturdy plastic shell (unlike the EZ-Flash IV's that feels like it'll crack every time you pull the cart out of your GBA)

The price is much higher though so YMMV.

Thanks I was waiting for your input. I wasn't sure what the upgrades were and I know you have been fairly active on the forums over there. I'm a big supporter of krikzz products. I just really want the sd2snes and the N8 before I get this one.

[opt2not]

You will not be disappointed. The SD2SNES is so great.
I don't have the N8, since I went with the PowerPak from Retrousb, so I can't really comment on how good it is, but I'm sure it's great too.

[Locke141]

So it looks like there will be a new USB drive coming out for the Saturn.

http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/7/13/12172076/sega-saturns-drm-has-been-cracked-after-20-years

Update: you can read more here

[thomas_surles]

So there looks like some one have a new USB drive coming out for the Saturn.

http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/7/13/12172076/sega-saturns-drm-has-been-cracked-after-20-years

Update: you can read more here

Beat me to it. I was just reading this:

http://www.retrocollect.com/News/sega-saturn-copy-protection-broken-a-new-flash-cartridge-in-development.html

[yotsuya]

Hey, did you guys hear the Sega Saturn has been cracked???!!1!!

[thomas_surles]

Hey, did you guys hear the Sega Saturn has been cracked???!!1!!

For reals? You got a link?

[Locke141]

Hey, did you guys hear the Sega Saturn has been cracked???!!1!!

For reals? You got a link?

Yotsuya is referring to the same thing we were talking about in the article/video above. The video is really impressive. The device he is building plugs into the VCD sold on the back of the Saturn. He is are planned it as 100% mod free, and should work like the SD cartridges for systems.

The stories of how this stuff gets done is amazing. Haze's blog was always a fun read for the same reasons.   

[Howard_Casto]

Yeah I miss Haze, "Hazeness" and all. 

Sidebar discussion:

I wonder how many disc systems use proprietary drives and how many use stock ones.  Obviously I'm not talking about the physical drive, but the reading/writing protocols.  Are most of them IDE?  SCSI?  or something different.  I just know they make floppy disc emulators at this point.... they plug into your floppy cable and then you plug in a usb stick with a bunch of floppy images on it.  It seems like a more universal cd emulator might be the best solution if it could be re-programmed for multiple consoles. 

The Saturn news is a good start though.  Interesting read.

[Howard_Casto]

ed64 is on it's way!  I'll report back once I get it. 

[thomas_surles]

ed64 is on it's way!  I'll report back once I get it.

I'm curious to see if the patched banjo Tooie also works on this one.

[Howard_Casto]

ed64 is on it's way!  I'll report back once I get it.

I'm curious to see if the patched banjo Tooie also works on this one.

From what I read, n64 compatibility was surprisingly high, even from the first revision.  The only two that required updates were pokemon snap, that needed that convoluted gb camera setup, and animal crossing, that needed a real time clock. 

I'm interested in the 64dd conversions that happened late last year.   Those will be like brand new games to me. 

[Locke141]

I just saw the Powerpack] in The Legend of Zelda build. I thought I would add it for the sake of listing all the option we can. If any one has one a post about it would be nice.

[Howard_Casto]

I didn't realize the power pak was still for sale. 

It might also be worth it to list the bootlegs separately..... there are some minor differences. 

[yotsuya]

ed64 is on it's way!  I'll report back once I get it.

I'm curious to see if the patched banjo Tooie also works on this one.

I'm interested in the 64dd

Oh wait, you're talking about games...

[Locke141]

I didn't realize the power pak was still for sale. 

It might also be worth it to list the bootlegs separately..... there are some minor differences.

I'm planning to do clean up of the first post and doing some more research and adding a few more I found. We just moved to Lao and are living out of a hotel until our rental house is ready and I'm taking a online class. This Monday my son starts daycare and Next Monday We moving to our house. I'll make time then.   

[Howard_Casto]

Ok the ed64plus came in today.  With the everdrive clone and the official version there was virtually no difference other than the clone uses a slightly older OS and comes with a nice shell.  This one, however, has some differences. 

First off, there's no gentle way to put it, the cart shell kind of sucks.  It's obviously re-tooled from the older version that had the console slot on the top so the top of the cart is flat and there are holes covered by silver tape where the USB and CIC slots used to be.  In addition, it's hard to get the sd card in and out without a q-tip or something as the socket sits just a tad too far inside the shell.  I think the official cart also has this problem though.

With that aside..... it's basically just like the everdrive64 v1.  With this one there are no firmware/OS locks either so you can use the official software if you wish.

N64 games run fine, NES games run fine (yes, there is an emulator... for Gameboy as well I think), the wallpaper works, the menus are the same as a v1 ed64 ect.....

The only thing is there isn't any game shark support on the official firmware for the device.  One of the everdrive OSes is supposed to add it for this hardware, but I haven't tried it yet. 

This particular model didn't come with a sd card, which isn't a deal breaker, but I had expected it with the 70 dollar price tag.... I think it might just be the vendor I bought it from. 

So far at least, I think, just like the genesis everdrive clone, it might be worth it to get this version due to the heavy discount..... an official ed64 with the same add-ons included is 150 dollars, so I basically got a working cart for half price.  I might buy a donor cart to put it in a new shell though, so if you are into aesthetics as I am, add a few bucks to the price.

If you have oddball games you want me to test, please post them.  I don't have a set of n64 roms yet, so it'll be a while before I have time to test.

[Howard_Casto]

Ok.  Playing with things a bit more, there is an alternate frontend available on krizz's site (I'll add links once I determine the best version).  It takes a bit of tweaking, but once that is installed you can customize the fonts and colors, use pngs as background images, and have png boxart/snap previews.  In addition, you can use cheats if you add a cheat file for a game to the folder.  I find this to be a bit more awkward then entering them in-game, but it still adds functionality.  On top of all that, the update allows 64DD games and has emulators for everything from the MSX to the Gameboy. 

This alternate menu is a bit awkward in terms of controls, but it's open-source, so once I get a chance, maybe I can improve upon it a bit more. 

It's going to take a while to get this cart setup properly, so I'll withhold any more thoughts until then.

[Howard_Casto]

Ok update:

Apparently I'm stupid.  64DD games require the ram expansion pak and I didn't have mine installed, so that's why they didn't work.  Everything seems to work just fine including the various emulators that run on the N64.  It's a shame that the console with the weird controller has all these emulators. 

I'm having health issues AGAIN, but once my mind is more clear I'll go about adding support to turn cheat codes on and off on the fly and customize the button layout, which admittedly is a bit odd on the alternate OS. 

Oh and pro tip:  Aliexpress has started to omit searches for "everdrive" but they are still being sold there for a marked discount.  Search for "China Version" instead. 

I guess I better buy a super everdrive next. 

[thomas_surles]

Just checked out Aliexpress. They have a China version n8. I have never seen one before. I've seen the power Pak and the jack diy, but never a nes China version.

[Howard_Casto]

Just checked out Aliexpress. They have a China version n8. I have never seen one before. I've seen the power Pak and the jack diy, but never a nes China version.

They've had them on there before, but they were just as expensive as the official version.   I think they are 60 bucks now, which is one hell of a deal.  I still haven't blown through that multi-cart I bought a while back, so I figured the snes version would be good for the next purchase.  I'm trying to buy one a month so it doesn't kill my wallet. 

Krizz is starting to get a little full of himself.  I was reading an article on the new Gameboy cart and apparently he's going to start doing tiers now.  There will be three versions of each flash cart, with the highest tier most likely having a crazy high price like the sd2snes.  At this point I don't feel a bit guilty for buying generic.... the guy needs a bit of competition to lower those prices to a more reasonable level. 

[thomas_surles]

I just might buy that nes one at 60. I only have one game and the pins on the board are trash so it don't even work.

I love how they can't even spell "store"

[thomas_surles]

I just ordered one

[Malenko]

Oh and pro tip:  Aliexpress has started to omit searches for "everdrive" but they are still being sold there for a marked discount.  Search for "China Version" instead. 

Not anymore. I had a genesis and a SNES one in my cart, didnt check out before leaving work and now I cant find them and ali express removed them from my cart.

[thomas_surles]

Oh and pro tip:  Aliexpress has started to omit searches for "everdrive" but they are still being sold there for a marked discount.  Search for "China Version" instead. 

Not anymore. I had a genesis and a SNES one in my cart, didnt check out before leaving work and now I cant find them and ali express removed them from my cart.

Well that was quick. I just paid for the Nes one.  so hopefully  in 19-39 days i will still get it.